Moving On
by BloomingViolets
Summary: She was sick and tired of being alone. She was done being bitter and hated. She knew she could be a better person. And that’s why she left Salem. She was determined to change. LUMI. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

Howdy all! Well, I've been a fanfiction writer for a couple of years now, but this is my very first Days of Our Lives Fic! I've been watching the show for awhile now and finally decided to try something new in writing a fanfic for a different show.

The idea for this story hit me way back when Sami was on her way to the church to marry Austin and somehow she and EJ were stuck in an abandoned house. I thought the way they were interacting was just too cute! Austin and Sami are not my idea of a good couple and neither are Lucas and Carrie! I'm a faithful Lumi shipper and have been for a few years now! Although, I do think that the chemistry between Sami and EJ is fabulous. And I just hate the way the storyline on Days is going right now – why did the writers make EJ a Dimera?! I loved it way better when everyone thought he was the good guy.

So once my idea hit me, I'm left wondering what would happen if EJ had come into Sami's life in a different way? What if Sami could truly become the person she was meant to be without any secrets and lies? And would Sami and Lucas ever get their happily ever after? (And yes, this will be a LUMI fic!)

So, I decided to pursue this idea. I'd appreciate any comments or constructive criticism. This story takes place after Carrie and Lucas got married and before Austin and Sami tried to get married again. I hope you guys like it! Please review.

**Note:** I do not own the characters of Days of Our Lives. This fic is for entertainment purposes only.

xxx

**Summary: **She was sick and tired of being alone. She was done being bitter and hated. She knew she could be a better person. And that's why she left Salem. She was determined to change.

xxx

Exactly forty days after her disastrous wedding to Austin had failed; Samantha Brady sat looking through her window toward the quiet streets of Salem. It was cold and dark; the sky had been angry for a week, and the rain made gentle tapping sounds against the window. Around her, sat boxes and boxes, all taped up and ready to be donated to the Salvation Army. A single suitcase and a duffle bag sat by the door, just waiting for her to pick them up and leave.

Sami sighed as she moved away from the window, walking around her now empty apartment. She felt tears come to her eyes as she walked around the tiny space, her left hand touching the walls as she walked. It was going to be hard to leave a place that had she had called home for many years. A place that was filled with memories, some that were good, other memories that were bad but it was going to be hard to leave nonetheless.

Her life was a mess. Her son hated her so much that he couldn't even stand to look at her. Will was her pride and joy and it was going to hurt to leave him behind. Sami knew that Will would understand why she was leaving – she needed to change herself. She needed (and wanted) to become a better person but she had to do it away from Salem. Away from anyone and everyone who thought of her as the manipulative bitch.

As much as she hated to admit it, Sami didn't have anyone left. She was alone and she hated it. Hated the word, hated how it sounded and hated how she was always associated with it. She hated loneliness and the feeling of being unloved and unaccepted. She did everything she could to avoid being alone and in the end it seemed she would always end up back at square one, having no one to depend on but herself.

Well no more.

The blonde woman glanced at the papers lying on her kitchen counter. A one way ticket to Chicago. It had been the first flight she had been able to book out of Salem. Next to the papers, sat three envelopes, each addressed to different people. She had no idea when the envelopes would be discovered but she hoped it would be soon, perhaps in a few days or maybe even first thing in the morning.

Sami reached for her plane ticket and then crossed the room, towards her belongings. She picked up her duffle bag, slinging it over her shoulder and reached for her suitcase. Opening the door to her apartment, she cast one last glance around her former home. Blinking back tears, Sami turned away and headed out the door, dragging her suitcase behind her. In the hallway, Sami stood still for a moment, casting a longing glance at the apartment across from hers. She gave a large sniffle and bit her lip, still refusing to let the tears fall.

As she sat in the cab ignoring the driver's curious glances, the tears that she had been desperate to hold back slid their way down her cheeks. Glancing out the window at the dark sky, she watched buildings and houses fly by, her heart breaking a little more every second.

_Please be happy,_ she prayed as she thought of Will and Lucas, Austin and Carrie and even her parents.

_We'll meet again someday, when I'm a better person. Until then, please God, let them be happy. _

xxx

Sami clutched her bag tightly as she boarded the plane. For a second, she was tempted to turn around and run back to the apartment and forget the idea of leaving Salem had ever existed. But she didn't run. Her legs continued to move forward, through the tunnel and towards her seat on the plane. She placed her duffle bag in the overhead compartment and took her seat by the window. The next few minutes passed in a haze. Someone sat next to her, though she paid no attention and stared out the window as the flight attendant gave the usual 'take off' speech and the pilot introduced himself. Sami was not aware of anything until she felt the rumble of the plane as it lifted off the ground.

For what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, Sami began to sob silently. _I really did it, _she thought. _I managed to leave Salem without anyone knowing._

And then the question that had been pushed to the back of her mind came out in full force.

_What am I going to do now? _

Sami had always been a great planner. With all her years of scheming, she _had _to have been a great planner. But this was the one time exception. This time she had no idea what she was going to do once her plane landed.

"Excuse me, miss? I don't mean to be nosy, but are you alright?"

Startled, Sami turned to her right and looked at the man sitting next to her. He stared at her with a look of concern on his face. Sami's first thought was that he was a handsome man, probably Australian or British from the sound of his voice and even though he was sitting, she could tell he was a very tall person.

She turned away from him and looked toward the window once more. "I'm fine," she replied, not wanting to talk.

"But you look so sad. Do you want to talk about it? I'm a pretty good listener, you know."

"I said I was fine!" she snapped.

The man next to her held his hands in front of him. "Whoa," he chuckled. "No need to bite my head off."

Sami felt her defensive attitude melt away and she slumped back into her seat. "I'm sorry. It's been a rough couple of months. I wasn't trying to be bitch."

"We've all been through hard times," the man sympathized. "Are you sure you don't need a listening ear?"

Sami sighed. "I'm sad to be leaving home, that's all."

"Then why are you leaving?"

"I had too," she whispered. "I have to prove to my family that I can become a better person. I want them to be proud of me."

"And you're moving to Chicago to become a better person?" The man sounded very curious.

Despite the overwhelming sadness she felt, Sami gave a soft chuckle. "It was the first available flight out of Salem."

"How very spontaneous of you."

"I've done so many stupid things, made so many bad choices – I just had to get away, you know? A new start. A chance to become a different person. I'm so tired of always being the disappointment and being blamed and alone."

The man smiled. "And you think you can become a better person in Chicago?"

She shrugged. "Believe me, I can't get any worse. At least this way, if I screw up, no one is around to see it."

The man chuckled and then extended his hand. "I'm EJ, by the way. EJ Wells."

"Sami Brady," she replied, extending her hand to shake his. "Thanks for listening to me."

"No problem," EJ replied easily. "Now that we're friends, how about I offer you a place to stay once we land?"

"What?" She stared at him incredulously. "EJ, you hardly know me! I can't accept your offer." Privately, Sami was a little wary of the man next to her. He seemed nice but she wasn't stupid enough to trust him completely. What if something bad happened?

"Look, I know we don't know each other, but Sami Brady, I think we're going to become good friends," EJ stated. "I swear to you that I am not some psychopath that's ready to kill you. I'm just offering you a place to stay when we land."

"I couldn't possibly intrude," Sami declined politely. She still didn't feel very comfortable about a complete stranger offering her a place to stay.

"It wouldn't be intruding if I offered, now would it? Besides, it wouldn't be just us, you know," EJ smiled. "I live with my best friends. And believe me, they won't mind if you stay with us. In fact, you can meet them once we land! They'll insist that you come with us, trust me."

Unable to come up with an argument, Sami felt her energy drained out of her. She sighed and leaned back into her seat, closing her eyes as she did so. Despite her doubt, something inside of her told her that EJ's offer was sincere. "Thanks EJ," she murmured quietly. "You don't know me, but you're giving me a chance anyway. It means a lot, thank you."

EJ chuckled. "It's no problem. And let me reassure you again, I am not a psychopath. You can trust me and my friends, I promise."

For the first time that night, the blonde woman felt a genuine smile come to her face. "We'll see," she replied. "We'll see…"

_I can't trust anyone that easily anymore._

xxx

"That was a long plane ride," Sami sighed, as she and EJ walked along the tunnel that would lead them into the Chicago Airport. "I know it was only a couple of hours, but it felt like forever."

"Probably because we sat the whole time," EJ replied. "When you're an active person, sitting still is hard."

"At least I've learned to do something new," Sami said. "Sudoku is actually a pretty fun game when you know the rules."

"You must have been a deprived person," the man next to her responded. "I always do crossword puzzles – "

"EJ WELLS!"

Simultaneously, Sami and EJ turned to see two women rushing towards them. One of them was a brunette and was turning heads from male admirers as she walked past. Dressed in a business suit and her hair done to perfection, the woman stopped in front of them with a look of exasperation on her face. The other woman, a red head, was dressed similarly but had a much friendlier expression.

Grinning, EJ dropped his bag and held out his arms to the two women. "Hey ladies, miss me?"

"What a retarded question," the brunette flipped her hair and threw herself into his arms. "No," she rolled her eyes, her sarcastic tone was evident. "We didn't miss you at all. That's why we're here, picking you up from the airport when we could've left you to take a cab."

"That's Marian's way of saying 'yes, we missed you'," the red headed woman cut in as she leaned forward to give a hug to EJ.

"Ladies, I've missed you too," EJ said, pulling back. He then gestured towards Sami, who had been hanging back, watching the scene unfolding before her. She felt nervous as the two women shifted their attention onto her. "I'd like you ladies to meet Samantha Brady – Sami for short. Sami, this is my cousin Marian Wells," he pointed towards the brunette woman. "And the red head here, is Amber Binchy."

"It's nice to meet you," both Amber and Marian said at the same time.

"It's nice to meet you too," Sami responded meekly.

"To make a long story short," EJ said, "Sami is going to stay with us for awhile. She knows no one in Chicago and has no place to stay. Her trip was rather… unplanned and she needs our help. So I offered a room at our place, alright?"

"Of course," Amber replied, casting Sami a friendly look. She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Any friend of EJ's is a friend of ours. You can stay as long as you like."

"Thank you," Sami said, gratefully as Marian gave her a reassuring smile.

EJ grinned and clapped his hands together. "Now that everything is all settled, why don't we all head home? I'm starving!"

"You're always hungry," Amber teased, as the four of them headed towards the baggage claim.

"What's your point?" EJ shrugged his shoulders as Sami became lost in her thoughts.

Her life was about to change drastically, but somehow Sami knew it was going to be a good thing for once. Like so many times before, she swore that this time it would be different – that she would finally start living life as an honest woman and she had a feeling this time it would stick. No Kate Roberts, Lucas or Carrie or even Austin around to distract her. She would prove it to those that loved her that she could change.

She was determined to change.

xxx


	2. Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly in the sky, indicating that it was a beautiful day in Salem. It was one of those normal typical Saturday mornings where everyone in the world seemed happy. Families were spending the day at the park where the children ran around flying their kites and the elderly walked around holding hands. Over on one side, where the parking lot was, a blonde woman stepped out of her car and took a deep breath of fresh air. There was a slight pang in her heart as she leaned against her car door and watched all the happy people spending time with their loved ones.

It had only been five years since she had left Salem, but those five years had seemed like a lifetime. Five years for her to evaluate her life. Five years for her to go through life changing experiences. Five years for her to change herself completely and experience new things. Samantha Brady had been away from Salem for five years and within those fives years the pain that had been consuming her entire life had long faded. It had taken a long time for Sami to let go of her bitterness and anger and it had been hard – but she had been able to do it.

And now, she was back in Salem, ready to make things right again and to prove to everyone that she was a good person and could make it on her own.

"So, this is Salem, huh?" Sami turned to her left as her friend and business partner Amber Binchy, came up beside her. The short redheaded woman observed the scene in front of her and there was a moment of silence before the redhead spoke again. "It's kind of… small."

"What did you expect?" Sami asked. "Salem may be a small city, but trust me; it has a lot of drama."

"No kidding," Amber looked skeptical. "Drama in a place like this? This city looks like it's a place where nothing ever happens."

"Believe me, this place is full of drama," Sami assured her friend. "And most of the drama usually involves me."

Before Amber could respond, another car pulled into the parking and parked right next to Sami's car. Almost immediately, a female brunette jumped from the vehicle and headed straight over to where Sami and Amber were standing. "God, we're finally here," she complained. "This place is a dump! Remind me why we're here again? How can we expect our stuff to sell in a place like this? We should've franchised in a bigger city!"

"Now now Marian," came a male voice. A tall man exited out of the driver's seat of the second car and walked over to where the three females stood. "Remember what you promised us? You said you would give this place a chance."

"Bite me, EJ!" Marian retorted. "We've been driving for hours and I haven't eaten anything since this morning. Not to mention I was stuck all those hours in the car with you and your annoying country music! I'm allowed to be cranky!"

EJ Wells rolled his eyes at his cousin. "You wound me," he said in a mock voice.

Sami laughed. "Alright, let's go get some food you guys. What do you feel like eating? Italian? Mexican? Chinese?"

"Hmmmm," Amber bit her lip. "Actually, I feel like having a burger."

"Ooooh, I second that!" Marian perked up. "And can we make sure we get some coffee afterwards? I SO need a caffeine fix."

EJ nodded. "I could go for a steak, actually."

Sami rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know a great place."

_xxx_

After her weddings to both Lucas and Austin had failed, Sami had packed up her belongs and had moved to Chicago, Illinois to begin a new life. The whole fiasco with Brandon had blown up in her face (like she had feared it would), causing Lucas to call off the wedding – which in turn had caused her son to hate her and that meant that Kate Roberts (her most hated enemy) had won. Sami still claimed that she had been drugged and set up though. What made things worse, was that Austin and Carrie had come back to town and within a short amount of time, Lucas had fallen in love with her half -sister (again) and the two had gotten married – leaving Sami with no hope that she would ever get Lucas back. With that dying hope, Sami had set her eyes on Austin once more, and sure enough, months later – they were planning their own wedding.

And of course, there was _no way_ Kate Roberts would ever allow another one of her sons to be involved with Sami Brady. And it wasn't like Sami really wanted to marry Austin again anyway – her dreams of being with her former love had long ago died. She wasn't the least surprised when her wedding to Austin didn't happen and found that she didn't really care – she and Austin Reed weren't meant to be together anyway.

But Sami had long since let go her hatred towards Kate Roberts. She had finally realized that after years of scheming and plotting for revenge, only time had been wasted. With the help of her new found friends, Sami had been able to change into the person that she always knew she could be – kind, caring and with a good heart. Thanks to EJ, Amber, and Marian and a few other friends that were part of their group – a new Sami Brady had emerged. Not to say, of course, that she and Kate Roberts would ever be friends – hell hadn't frozen over yet. Sami just simply didn't have the energy to care about her anymore but that didn't mean she couldn't be civil if occasion called for it.

Now, she had a wonderful career and friends that she knew she could always count on to be on her side. EJ Wells, always the voice of reason – he was the peacemaker of the group and could crack funny jokes at all the right moments. Marian Wells, the brunette with a brash personality and the one that Sami admired most. Marian was outspoken, sarcastic and often voiced her opinion whether people wanted to hear it or not. Amber Binchy, a redhead with a feisty personality to match. She was energetic and fun-loving and these three people were exactly what Sami needed after her painful break up with Lucas five years ago.

She now was a fashion designer of all things.

Packing up and leaving Salem had been the hardest thing she ever had to do, but Sami was glad she had done it. Though it had been hard to leave Will and to give up on the hope of Lucas ever coming back to her, she knew she just had to get away from Salem and all the people living there. She just couldn't take or deal with the criticism and negativity any longer. She had booked the first flight out of Salem, which had been to Chicago and it had been on the plane ride there that she met EJ Wells.

It was a strange twist of fate that her seat had ended next to EJ's. And it was a stroke of coincidence that she had blurted her whole life story to this perfect stranger (all the while sobbing and sniffing) before she even knew his name. EJ, being the kind man he was, had listened patiently to her story before introducing himself and offering her a place to stay at his friends' apartment.

Enter Marian and Amber.

And the rest was history and a rare friendship that Sami had never known before had formed. Amber and Marian had taken a quick liking to Sami and the feeling had been mutual. It was through her new friends that helped Sami finally start living her life without schemes and lies and all around it made her a better person.

Though she lost all contact with everyone in Salem, there was still one person she was talking too. It was only a couple of months after she had left that Will had begun speaking to her again. Their relationship was still somewhat rocky but it was beginning to go back to the way it used to be. Even though Will never witnessed his mother's changing personality, he sensed it through her letters, emails and phone calls. It was a relationship that seemed to be going strong again through the years.

Sami was looking forward to connecting with her son again.

"So, this guy comes up to me and just goes 'Hey, I'm Joe and I mix a perfect martini.' Seriously guys, it was the worst blind date ever," Marian was saying as she ate a piece of her steak and rolled her eyes. Her voice brought Sami back toward the conversation that her friends were having. Marian was telling them about her blind date that had happened a week ago. "I was totally staring at him like he was about to grow an extra set of ears or something. I want a boyfriend, not a psychopath."

"Hey, what's wrong with making the perfect martini?" Amber challenged. "I took a class on learning how to make the Perfect Martini in New York, remember? Maybe this guy took a class too!"

"Is that the first thing you have to say about yourself, though?" EJ asked, siding with Marian, his accent coming out slowly. "He just introduces himself and says he makes the perfect martini. The fact that he makes the Perfect Martini is the most _important _thing about him?"

"Sami, what do you think?" Marian looked at her. "Is this guy a freak or what?"

Sami considered her friend's situation and decided to side with Amber. "Maybe he was trying to be different," she suggested as she took a bite of her salad. "He was probably trying to show that he was a fun-loving guy."

"Oh please," EJ rolled his eyes at Sami's answer. He sighed dramatically. "If a girl ever came up to me and said, 'Hi, nice to meet you. I make acid in my garage,' I'd take it as a hint and a half to run the other way."

They all laughed for a moment before Amber perked up. "Hey, check it out, three hotties at the entrance. Damn, are they yummy."

Sami looked to where her friends were looking, while EJ rolled his eyes. Then the blood drained from her face. "Oh my god," she whispered.

"Sami? Are you okay? You look pale all of a sudden," EJ's voice sounded concerned, which caused Amber and Marian to look at her.

Sami ignored all of the questions that were being thrown at her and focused on the three males that had just entered The Brady Pub. Three faces that she hadn't seen in a long time and the one face that she had really missed in particular. Lucas Roberts was looking better than she had ever seen him and suddenly Sami realized just how much they had both changed. She didn't know Lucas anymore, but that didn't stop her from still loving him. She looked at his companions and saw that he was with Phillip and Rex. They too, looked well and healthy, Sami noted.

The three brothers hadn't noticed her – and that was how she wanted it to stay. She wasn't ready for a confrontation just yet.

"Are you alright?" Marian asked, as Sami turned back to them.

"Do you guys remember how I told you about my ex-fiance?" she asked.

"The one where he thought you were sleeping with your ex-boyfriend?" Amber replied. "The love of your life?"

"Yeah," Sami nodded. "Well, guess what? He and his brothers just walked through those doors."

Her friends stared at her in shock. "No way," Marian remarked. "First day back in town and there's a possible run-in already? Your life _is _interesting." The brunette turned back to the three males. "Which one is your ex-fiance?"

"The one on the left with the dark hair," Sami replied, opening up her menu and holding it up to her face.

EJ chuckled and reached over to pat her shoulder. "That's it Sami," he drawled, his accent coming out slowly. There was an amused expression on his face. "That's right, just hide behind the menu – you're invisible now."

"Chicken," Marian snickered at her from across the table.

"Your ex-fiance is short," Amber stated as she observed Lucas from where she was sitting. "I would've pegged you as the type to go for a tall guy."

"You should go over and say hi," Marian added.

"No!" Sami hissed. "I'm not ready to face him yet."

"I thought the whole point of coming back to Salem was to show everyone how much you've changed," EJ pointed out. "You can't show them how much you've changed by hiding, you know."

"I know," Sami nodded. "But I didn't think I would see Lucas _today_. Can we please leave? Pretty please?"

She watched as her three friends exchanged glances. It was a couple of minutes before Marian put down her napkin and sighed. "Oh, what the hell. I'm done my meal anyway. Let's get out of here and say we go over our business plans to open our new shop?"

"Thank you, Marian!" Sami looked relieved. Both girls then turned to Amber and EJ, waiting for their reactions. Her redheaded friend gave a shrug. "Why not?" Amber smiled. "I wanted to discuss how our displays should be set up anyway."

"Count me in," EJ said, reaching for his wallet. "How about I go pay the bill and you three girls wait for me in the parking lot?"

"Oh EJ, you take such good care of us," Amber cooed as Sami flashed her friend a winning smile.

Marian snorted. "Sometimes I think you're_ too_ rich and famous, my dear cousin. I think we're becoming too used to the fact that you're always paying for our meals and letting us live with you – rent free."

"Just promise me you won't ditch me if I ever happen to become broke," EJ said. "And we'll call it even. You girls know I adore you."

"We love you too," Sami told him as the three of them began making their way out to the parking lot, thankfully avoiding a run-in with Lucas, Phillip and Rex. The blonde let out a relived sigh as she and her friends headed towards their parked vehicles. "That was close."

"You have got to stop being so scared," Amber scolded gently as they reached their cars. "How else are you going to show them what you're made of?"

"I can't face him yet," the blonde replied. "I don't know why I thought I was able to before. What the heck was I thinking?"

"Chill out, you're going to give yourself a headache," Marian stated bluntly. "Besides, what are you freaking out for? You've got an awesome job, you look absolutely gorgeous _and_ you've got us. You know that we'll totally back you up, remember?"

"You make it sound like I'm in a gang or something," Sami muttered under her breath. But then she smiled, giving her friends a grateful look. "I really appreciate this, you guys. Thank you. Sometimes I forget I now have friends to defend me – it's a nice feeling, knowing that there are people who care about you."

Her two female friends grinned. "Don't be stupid," Marian said. "We'll always be on your side."

EJ walked up to them at that moment. "I've got a question for you, Sami," he addressed the blonde. "The restaurant we just ate at, your family is running it, right?"

"Yep," she replied. "That's the Brady Pub. Why?" A panicked look crossed her face. "Did someone see me?"

"Well, considering it's your family restaurant, it's more likely that someone would recognize you," EJ responded. "But no, I don't think anyone noticed. I saw family pictures on the wall and one of the little blonde girls was obviously you."

"Oh," Sami sighed. "Yeah. My grandpa Shawn likes to display pictures of my family around the pub. There's usually some embarrassing story behind it," she paused. "You're sure they didn't see me?"

"Would you relax?" Now Marian sounded annoyed. "You are worrying WAY too much! Think of all that you've accomplished in the last five years! So what if everyone hates you still? Who really cares? They don't know the real you. The only person you have to worry about now is _you_."

"And my son," Sami reminded her friend. "God, I can't believe he's sixteen now."

"Can't wait to meet the little tyke," Marian said. "Now let's get out of here."

And as her friends go into their perspective cars, Sami glanced back at the Brady Pub, admiring the restaurant. She grinned, her nervousness melting away as she pulled on her seat belt.

Life was definitely looking up.


End file.
